Means for actuating needles in circular-knitting machines



July 21, 1925. 1,546,693

. P. -WALTER MEANS FOR ACTUATING NEEDLES, IN CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES.

Filed Jan. 22, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 M "11W W/ 121M Zw/av- July 21, 1925;

- P. WALTER MEANS FOR AGTUATING" N EDLES IN CIRCULAR KNIT'IIING MACHINES Fiied Jan; 22, 925 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 Patented July 21, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE.

PAUL WALTER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO SCHAEFER MACHINE COM- PANY,-INC., OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

MEANS FOR ACTUATING NEEDLES IN CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINES.

Application filed January 22, 1925. Serial No 3,894.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PAUL WVALTER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of- Brooklyn, county of Queens, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Means for Actuating Needles in Circular-Knitting Machines, of which the following is a specitication.

This invention relates to knitting machines, and has more particularly reference to a means for actuating needles in a circular knitting machine especially of .the type known as a Brinton sinker top machine.

In machines of this kind the variety of patterns that can be produced is limited owing to the fact that the needles cannot readily be separated iiito more than two levels. The main object and feature of the present invention is to devise a means whereby a great variety of patterns can be readily produced by separating the needles into more than two positions.

In the accompanying drawings the invention is disclosed in several concrete and preferred forms in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a pattern wheel shown in the position it occupies with respect to its support and the needles of the cylinder.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View on the plane of line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 1s a vertical sectional View on the plane of line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the action of the cam means on a needle having a short butt and a needle having a long butt.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing two needles passing through slots in the cam means.

-Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing a development of the support carrying the cam means and of the needles.

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing a modified form of cam means.

1 indicates a needle cylinder surrounding which is a support 2, said cylinder and sup port having a rotating motion one with respect to. the other and here produced by rotating the support around the cylinder. 3 indicates needles having short butts 4: and 5 indicates needles having long butts 6, said needles being slidably mounted in the cylinder.

7 is a patternwheel suitably mounted for rotation on stud 8 carried by support 2, said wheel being mounted obliquely with respect to the needles. The pattern wheel is a disc having cams 9, here shown as substantially radial grooves, for the reception of the long-butts and having also peripheral flange portions 10 for the reception of the short butts; the upper surface of said flange portions being smooth and substantially level with the bottom of the grooves. This disc is also provided with slots 11 through which the butts may pass. In the example .of the invention shown in Fig. l the long and short butt needles alternate and the flange portions are coextensive circumferentially with the grooved portions. It will now be understood that, due to rotation of support 2, the pattern wheel is carried around the needle cylinder and that a number of butts are in engage mentwith the pattern wheel at the same time. When a groove 9 comes adjacent to the needle cylinder it will engage the long butt of a needle and the needle'butt will rotate the pattern wheel. At the same time, owing to the inclined or oblique position of the wheel, said wheel by its rotation will lift the needle, which it engages, a certain 10 comes adjacent to-the needle cylinder'it will engage the short butt of a needle and raise it a certain distance. If a slot 11 comes adjacent the needle cylinder a short butt will not reach said slot, but a long butt will and therefore the long butt passes through the slot without being raised. The result is therefore that, in this instance, the long but-ts act as gears driving the pattern wheel whether engaging the grooves or the slots and that some long butt needles are raised and others are not, dependingupon the pattern of the pattern wheel; that furthermore the short butts will not drive the pattern wheel and that some short butt needles are raised and others are not, likewise depending upon the pattern of the pattern wheel. The result is that the needles are separated into two groups A and B (Fig. (i) occupying different levels and that each group contains some needles of each kind. It is now possible by means of other cams such as 12 to separate the long butt needles of say group A from the short butt needles of the same group thus producing two subsidiary groups ,C and D occupying from dropping and 14 is a restoring orstitch cam to bring the needles back to their original position. These cams are also carried by support 2.

In Fig. 7 is shown a modification. Here we have an arrangement of, pattern that requires say. ten short butt needles 15 and ten long butt needles 16. With this arrangement it will be understood that the long 1 butt needles cannot drive the pattern wheel continuously. In that event there is a suitable arrangement of grooves 9 and slots 11, depending upon the pattern, for the long butt needles, and a suitable arrangement V "of flange 10 whereby slots 17 are provided in the flange and grooves 18 are also provided in said flange so that theshort butt needles may drive the pattern wheel and maybe raised or not as may be desired.

1. A pattern wheel for actuating the needles of a circular knitting machine and in turn rotatedby engagement'with saidneedles including: a disc mounted obliquely with respect to said needles, said disc having substantially radial grooves in its"'upper surface for the reception of the butts of long-butt needles and peripheral flange por-' tions whose upper surface iss'ubstantially levelwith the bottom of said grooves for the reception of the butts of short-butt needles, to thereby move needles of both kinds into another plane.

2. A pattern. wheel for actuating the needles of a circular knitting machine and in turn rotatedby engagement with said needles including: 'a disc mounted obliquely with respect to. said needles, said disc having substantially radial grooves in its upper surface for the reception of the butts of long-butt needles and peripheral flange portions whose upper surface is substantially level with the bottom of said grooves for the reception of'the butts of short-butt needles, to thereby move needles of both kinds into another plane, said disc also being provided with radial slots through which some of the needle butts pass to thereby retain some needles of each kind in-the same plane.

3. A pattern wheel for actuating the needles of a circular vknitting machine and in turn rotated by engagement with saidneedles including: a disc mounted obliquely with respect to saidneedles, said disc having substantially radial grooves in its upper surface for the-reception of'the butts of long-butt needles and peripheral flange portions whose upper surface is smooth and grooves for the reception of the butts of short-butt needles, to thereby move needles of both kinds into another plane.

Signed at New York, in the borough of Manhattan, county of New York, and State of New York, this 16th day of January,

PAUL WALT-ER.

substantially level with the bottom of said 

